Professor Dag Moskopp: Neurosurgery – for disorders of the nervous system

The Centre for Base of Skull and Spinal Surgery at the Vivantes Hospital in Friedrichshain, Berlin, which is headed up by Professor Dag Moskopp, offers a broad range of neurosurgical diagnostics and therapies. Neurosurgery is a relatively new discipline that involves close collaboration with other fields of medicine as many physical disorders are also manifested in the central nervous system.

Neurosurgeons treat patients with complaints such as visual, hearing and circulatory problems, head and spinal injuries, hormonal disorders and unexpected weight gain. Before providing treatment, the highly competent team in Professor Dag Moskoppʼs neurosurgical department evaluates the results of diagnostic tests such as X-rays, CTs and MRIs, neurological evidence and findings from opticians and decide on the appropriate therapy based on the individual patientʼs diagnosis.

The wide range of conditions means treatment is carried out jointly with the vascular surgery unit or the various tumour centres and radiology department. Slipped discs, which can occur in any section of the spine, often require neurosurgical treatment as well.

Before an operation is considered, neurosurgical specialists check whether less invasive therapies would be appropriate, such as neuroradiology using special catheters. If neurosurgery is required, highly specialised techniques are used on the central nervous system and surrounding organs.

At the Department of Neurosurgery at the Vivantes Hospital in Friedrichshain, over 95 per cent of operations employ the latest technologies, such as a highly advanced surgical microscope with which surgeons can use targeted, minimally invasive methods. Special lighting and close-up images allow diseased structures to be removed while preserving the surrounding healthy tissue. Bypasses can be sewn using threads that are finer than a human hair.

Professor Dag Moskopp is Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Vivantes and heads up the Centre for Base of Skull and Spinal Surgery. Each year, around 1,200 operations are performed under his stewardship – of which 800 are on the spine. A slipped disc can be very painful and is very common in Germany. Unhealthy lifestyles may lead to this condition, which is treated either conservatively with special physiotherapy and pain therapy or by an operation followed by physiotherapy. The actual operation often uses minimally invasive techniques, i.e. keyhole surgery, which require only a short stay in hospital of just a few days.

The departmentʼs areas of focus also include emergency care, such as treatment of traumatic brain injuries following an accident, the sudden onset of symptoms such as cramp, visual or hearing problems or disturbance of consciousness, for example caused by an increased accumulation of fluid or a lack of drainage, known as hydrocephalus or water in the brain.

Professor Moskopp has also offered dedicated hypophysis consultations for the past 20 or so years. “During these consultations, I see couples who want to speed up the process of becoming pregnant,” says Professor Moskopp. The hypophysis – the pituitary gland – is responsible for the release of hormones in the head. Microsurgery on this important gland is also used to remove tumours that can lead to excessive production of hormones and then, for example, visual problems.

Special interdisciplinary and neuropaediatric therapy is provided for children. This is because children are not simply smaller versions of adults, and treatment requires a particularly sensitive approach that takes account of the metabolism of children.